Reuniting Six Coyote Pups with their Mother

When some spring yard work turned up six infant coyotes, our Calif. animal care center reunites them with momma

The Humane Society of the United States / The Fund for Animals

Six coyotes, only 10 or 11 days old, were discovered under a debris pile. Kim D'Amico/The HSUS

The little coyotes were successfully reunited with their mother. Kim D'Amico/The HSUS

by Ali Crumpacker

Taking advantage of a warm spring morning to do some yard work, a Fallbrook, California, resident stumbled across a surprise at the bottom of her wood pile: six infant coyotes.

A wild mother coyote had chosen the backyard pile as a perfect den site. As the homeowner deconstructed the wood pile to mow the lawn, one of the babies announced himself.

The homeowner uncovered one, two, three and finally all six coyote pups. With their den now destroyed and their momma nowhere in sight, the homeowners didn’t know what to do. Ultimately, they called the Fund for Animals Wildlife Center in Ramona, California, which specializes in the care and rehabilitation of predatory native wildlife, such as coyotes.

The pups were carefully moved to a soft towel in a box and made the long journey to our facility, where veteran wildlife rehabilitator, Kim D’Amico, was able to give them a quick check and confirm that they were healthy. With eyes still squinting from the bright sunlight, she estimated the pups were just 10 or 11 days old.

True orphans?

D’Amico spent time with the homeowner to discuss ways to create a makeshift den and allow the mother coyote a chance to reclaim her babies.

“I told her to wait 24 hours and stay out of the area during that time.” D’Amico says. “If mom did not return overnight, we would make arrangements to get the puppies.”

No matter how good a rehabber is, a coyote mother is always the best option to raise her own young.

Whenever baby animals are found, the Fund for Animals Wildlife Center always hopes to help reunite them with their parents. If the mother is healthy and able to get to her babies, she will come back to claim them. Coyotes often establish multiple den sites in case one becomes disturbed; she’ll wait till the cover of night to move her babies, one by one in her mouth, to the new den location.

But if the babies are brought to a rehabber and labeled as “orphans”, then their mom never has the opportunity to move them and finish raising them herself. If their mom doesn’t return within 24 hours, then a rehabber can step in and raise the babies for future release. No matter how good a rehabber is, a coyote mother is always the best option to raise her own young.

Watch, and wait...

These six puppies made the long trip back to Fallbrook. A makeshift den was set up for them and the area was left undisturbed. D’Amico tried calling first thing the next morning to check on the pups. Did the coyote mother come back? Did she move all the pups or just some of them? Did another animal find them first and cause them harm?

On pins and needles, the questions went unanswered for several hours until the homeowner returned her call. The momma coyote had reclaimed all six pups and moved her family to a new den.

At the Fund for Animals Wildlife Center, we celebrated. We could and would have done our best to raise the six coyotes, but we're glad to have helped return them to their rightful caregiver.

Membership

The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) is registered as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Contributions to The Humane Society of the United States are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law. The HSUS's tax identification number is 53-0225390.